This Woman Lost 125 Pounds Using The Instant Pot

Sometimes, finding the right tool can make all the difference in achieving your weight loss goals. After her husband bought her an Instant Pot four years ago, Brittany Williams relied on the cult-favorite multi-cooker to change her family's eating habits for the better — and lost 125 pounds in the process.

The mom of three behind the popular blog Instant Loss had previously depended on fast food, frozen meals, and processed snacks to get quickly get dinner on the table, but a surprise diagnosis in January 2016 made her realize something had to change. Her young daughter had developed rheumatoid arthritis, and Williams herself struggled with a challenging autoimmune disease.

"I took medication on and off for 10 years. During healthy eating stints I'd notice my hands would begin to shake which was a sign of over-medicating," she told TODAY. "I would stop taking my medication for a time and while I was eating clean my thyroid would regulate on it's own. As soon as I began to add processed foods back into my diet, I would have to go back on medication."

While she had first used her Instant Pot to make starchy, buttery and cheesy dishes, Williams decided to start filling the convenient device, which works as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, with real, wholesome ingredients instead. She specifically adopted an autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet, which nixes refined sugars and processed foods.

"By the end of April [2017], after I lost about 50 pounds, I posted a photo and a little blurb to encourage others in the Instant Pot community [on Facebook] that eating well with the pressure cookers was convenient and possible. The post blew up. I was shocked!" Williams told TODAY. "I was inundated with private messages and friend requests. Everyone wanted to know what recipes I was using and how I did it."

The influx of interest inspired her to start her own blog, which she says got 52,000 views on the first day. While she's not a paid spokeswoman for Instant Pot, Williams says that the device "eliminated one of my biggest obstacles" when it came to healthy eating because she could finish making dinner in less than 30 minutes. Now, she's working on a book of healthy slow-cooker recipes.

Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute agrees that making one change at a time is super important when it comes to forming healthier habits that stick. "If that means cooking at home more often: Commit to doing just that, one more time per week," she advises. "Starting with something (seemingly) small is the easiest, most efficient way to achieve a bigger goal — and stay motivated to keep doing it!"

As for what to make, London agrees that meals and snacks made with real, whole foods (especially veggies!) are the always the #1 way to a better diet, long-term health, and weight loss.